BHVR, Please Rob Us. Leon S. Kennedy Overhaul. (Month 1)
You could be robbing us blind; but you're not.
(This is just a huge yapfest, btw)
Every year, the number of Leon S. Kennedy fans grow. It's undeniable. The character's popularity is increasing. I was 3 when my grandparents sat me in front of a PS2 and put on RE4; because that was a smart idea. I watched the world barely recognize the character, to social media making so many memes of him, nearly everyone is at least vaguely familiar with him.
One thing about the Leon fandom in the RE Community is, I won't lie, the fact that it's made up of niches. Each era of Leon has its own subgenre with a cult following. I, for example, am in the OGRE4 Leon cult. We're at war with the RE4 REmake Leon cult; and everyday our supplies dwindle. There's simply not enough to sustain us for much longer, and we will soon need to start eating the weak amongst us.
Ever heard of D.B Cooper?
BHVR could BE D.B Cooper, but they need to fight for it.
One of the things that seem to bring the Leon fandom together is when he gets a new version, pre-release. Everyone's happy the character is returning, and there's a moment of peace in the fandom because of this. Soon after, that version of Leon joins the cult and everyone goes wild.
So, that brings me to this pitch and why I'm yapping.
DBD is undergoing a large graphic overhaul; and part of the focus on this is overhauling character models. One of these being BHVR's blend on RE4, which not many people seem to be a fan of.
BHVR, I have no idea the specifics between you and Capcom's agreement in having licensed characters, but it has been made clear from the somewhat consistent returns of the licensed characters, that both parties are interested in the profit. What if I told you, that you could skyrocket this profit, bring peace to Leon fans in your community, and be the next D.B Cooper?
- The RE2Make Leon is great. Riley McShane sounds pretty solid, and he's become rather iconic in his own right. No changes necessary.
- Paul Haddad was the first Leon. Riley McShane can portray both OG and REmake RE2 Leons, it's actually quite solid for both. However, a skin, with slightly more orange hair, and the OGRE2 skin, would represent the older fans, and lean into the legacy that Paul Haddad left for us.
- Paul Mercier is goated. He hasn't voiced the character in decades, and recently showed a bit of interest in it once more by attending NostalgiaCon. The current RE4 skin is a weird blend. It looks like RE2 REmake Leon cosplaying as RE4 OG Leon. If the skin was redone to look identical to RE4OG Leon, which includes a face, hair, and clothing, and Paul Mercier was somehow brought back in to play the character one last time (even though it's just screaming and some dialogue), gaming news articles would talk about it, and it would attract allot of attention. Why the outfit description refuses to mention RE4 while Ada's character description does is a bit strange as well. Once more, RE4OG's arguably-more-iconic jacket is not owned by Schlott NYC. There is no copyright needed for a clothing company. A rehaul of "Persistent Investigator" is desperately needed, and should be handled alongside the graphical overhaul. If the skin is overhauled in the weird blend its currently in, it may be too late to consider a profitable and awesome idea like this.
- Matthew Mercer came and voiced The Lich; and soon after, the RE6 skin was unveiled. The skin itself actually looks really faithful; but the voice of Riley McShane really takes players out of it. Bringing him back to voice the character one more time would cement him.
- Everyone knows Nick Apostolides, and everyone is now familiar with RE9QUIEM Leon. Bringing Nick in to voice this older Leon's grunts, moans, and screams, would do more than make money; it would be the final piece of a puzzle. Yes, it's a bit weird because he doesn't voice the RE2make skin, but you can't just up and replace Riley McShane after he's cemented his very unique take on the character. This would be the final piece of the puzzle.
That puzzle being a representation of each and every era of the character's journey. From the OGRE2 Leon, to the newest Leon, each subgenre of the fandom would not have to be divided, because you can have a lobby of RE2OG Leon, RE4OG Leon, RE6 Leon, and RE9 Leon. Each and every voice actor repped, and each and every character model's unique style repped.
Once again, I don't know how complicated the talks between BHVR and Capcom are when it comes to this; but I cannot name a single person in the fandom who wouldn't be unbelievably hyped about all of this.
I can even bet that if you did this, you could raise the prices on these legendary skins by a good amount, and not many would mind, as long as the quality compliments the quantity.
Comments
He and all the other RE characters are likely getting a glowup with the visual overhaul. So I'd just hang tight, there is no way they keep them as busted and horrible as they look currently.
My personal wishlist is: Nick, Steph, Nicole, Lily, Eva, Jeff all voicing the survivors.
Rebecca is the only outlier coz she doesn't have a new VA yet.